The Utilization and Benefits of Telehealth Services by Health Care Professionals Managing Breast Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telehealth is the delivery of many health care services and technologies to individuals at different geographical areas and is categorized as asynchronously or synchronously. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused major disruptions in health care delivery to breast cancer (BCa) patients and there is increasing demand for telehealth services. Globally, telehealth has become an essential means of communication between patient and health care provider. The application of telehealth to the treatment of BCa patients is evolving and increasingly research has demonstrated its feasibility and effectiveness in improving clinical, psychological and social outcomes. Two areas of telehealth that have significantly grown in the past decade and particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic are telerehabilitation and teleoncology. These two technological systems provide opportunities at every stage of the cancer care continuum for BCa patients. We conducted a literature review that examined the use of telehealth services via its various modes of delivery among BCa patients particularly in areas of screening, diagnosis, treatment modalities, as well as satisfaction among patients and health care professionals. The advantages of telehealth models of service and delivery challenges to patients in remote areas are discussed.

Abnormal Liver Biochemistry Tests and Acute Liver Injury in COVID-19 Patients: Current Evidence and Potential Pathogenesis.

Globally, millions of persons have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) over the past several months, resulting in significant mortality. Health care systems are negatively impacted including the care of individuals with cancers and other chronic diseases such as chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There are various probable pathogenic mechanisms that have been presented to account for liver injury in COVID-19 patients such as hepatotoxicity cause by therapeutic drugs, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection of the bile duct cells and hepatocytes, hypoxia and systemic inflammatory response. Liver biochemistry tests such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) are deranged in COVID-19 patients with liver injury. Hepatocellular damage results in the elevation of serum AST and ALT levels in early onset disease while a cholestatic pattern that develops as the disease progress causes higher levels of ALP, GGT, direct and total bilirubin. These liver biochemistry tests are prognostic markers of disease severity and should be carefully monitored in COVID-19 patients. We conducted a systematic review of abnormal liver biochemistry tests in COVID-19 and the possible pathogenesis involved. Significant findings regarding the severity, hepatocellular pattern, incidence and related clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients are highlighted.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, clinically heterogeneous, and particularly complex neurodegenerative disease characterized by a decline in cognition. Over the last two decades, there has been significant growth in the investigation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. This review presents current evidence from many clinical neurochemical studies, with findings that attest to the efficacy of existing core CSF biomarkers such as total tau, phosphorylated tau, and amyloid-ß (Aß42), which diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the early and dementia stages of the disorder. The heterogeneity of the pathophysiology of the late-onset disease warrants the growth of the Alzheimer's disease CSF biomarker toolbox; more biomarkers showing other aspects of the disease mechanism are needed. This review focuses on new biomarkers that track Alzheimer's disease pathology, such as those that assess neuronal injury (VILIP-1 and neurofilament light), neuroinflammation (sTREM2, YKL-40, osteopontin, GFAP, progranulin, and MCP-1), synaptic dysfunction (SNAP-25 and GAP-43), vascular dysregulation (hFABP), as well as CSF α-synuclein levels and TDP-43 pathology. Some of these biomarkers are promising candidates as they are specific and predict future rates of cognitive decline. Findings from the combinations of subclasses of new Alzheimer's disease biomarkers that improve their diagnostic efficacy in detecting associated pathological changes are also presented.

Medicinal Herbs Used in Traditional Management of Breast Cancer: Mechanisms of Action.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the principal causes of death among women and there is a pressing need to develop novel and effective anti-cancer agents. Natural plant products have shown promising results as anti-cancer agents. Their effectiveness is reported as decreased toxicity in usage, along with safety and less recurrent resistances compared with hormonal targeting anti-cancer agents. Methods: A literature search was conducted for all English-language literature published prior to June 2020. The search was conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. The search strategy included keywords such as breast cancer, herbs, anti-cancer biologically active components, clinical research, chemotherapy drugs amongst others. Results: The literature provides documented evidence of the chemo-preventative and chemotherapeutic properties of Ginseng, garlic (Allium sativum), Black cohosh (Actaea racemose), Tumeric (Curcuma longa), Camellia sinenis (green tea), Echinacea, Arctium (burdock), Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa). Conclusions: The nine herbs displayed anti-cancer properties and their outcomes and mechanisms of action include inhibition of cell proliferation, angiogenesis and apoptosis as well as modulation of key intracellular pathways. However, more clinical trials and cohort human studies should be conducted to provide key evidence of their medical benefits.

Prostate specific antigen and Gleason score in men with prostate cancer at a private diagnostic radiology centre in Western Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumour in men and the second most common cause of male cancer death. The study examines the clinicopathological features of patients with prostate cancer consecutively diagnosed at a private Diagnostic Radiology Centre in Western Jamaica over a 6-year period. METHOD: The medical records, including the pathology reports of 423 consecutive patients who had transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) - guided prostate biopsy between January 2006 and December 2011 were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis of the 191 men with prostate adenocarcinoma was 68.5 ± 0.59 years with the majority in the 70 - 79 year age group (43.5%). Moderately differentiated carcinomas (Gleason score of 6) comprised the largest group with 72 cases (37.9%); poorly differentiated cancers with Gleason scores of 8 - 10 comprised 49 cases (25.8%). The PSA levels increased with Gleason score. The mean PSA levels for men with Gleason score of 6 was 50.1 ± 30.0 ng/mL compared with 136.5 ± 59.9 ng/mL in patients with Gleason score of 8 and 140.5 ± 31.8 ng/mL in patients with Gleason score of 9. Perineural invasion was present in 7.85% of the cases overall; high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) was present in 4.71% of the biopsies. CONCLUSION: Although the majority of patients had moderate, and moderate to poor differentiated carcinomas, the number with poorly differentiated carcinoma was high. This is a reflection of the patients' late clinical presentation at the time of diagnosis.

Response of patients to the introduction of a private Magnetic Resonance Imaging service in Western Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of today's fastest growing imaging modalities, spurred in part by rapid advances in technology and important new applications in patient care. It was introduced in Western Jamaica in March 2005 at a non-hospital-based facility called North Coast Imaging MRI Service. AIMS: The study examined the socio-demographics, accessibility and affordability of the services to patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A random sample of 100 patients was used and the research instrument was a questionnaire. The study was conducted between August and November 2008. RESULTS: The findings of the study showed that majority of the respondents lived in rural areas and were within the age group 30 - 59 years. One-half of the respondents resided in St. James, were employed; earned more than US$1,351.00 per month and could afford the cost of the MRI procedure. More than one half of the respondents indicated that it took 15 - 30 minutes to be examined after arrival at the Centre; most (81%) of the respondents indicated that the MRI procedure was adequately explained, and 99% indicated that questions about the procedure were satisfactorily answered. The MRI Scans performed at the North Coast Imaging MRI Service showed an increase of 157.49% in 2006 when compared with 2005, and 70.90% in 2007 when compared with 2006. Our findings suggest that the number of MRI scans done at the North Coast Imaging MRI Service is likely to increase. CONCLUSION: Although most of the respondents were able to afford the procedure there are concerns about persons in the lower socio-economic group who are unable to afford expensive diagnostic imaging tests such as MRI scans. There is an urgent need for government-owned hospital-based MRI Units in Jamaica to offer lower cost MRI scans to the public.